almond flour pancakes

Oh my gosh, these pancakes are my newest breakfast obsession, (alongside my overnight steel-cut oats and my 5-minute hot quinoa cereal) and that’s strange coming from a gal who has never been a huge fan of pancakes. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of pancakes, but I always felt like they were a breakfast indulgence and not the sort of breakfast that would provide me with fuel, or the power needed for a trail run or long mountain bike ride. Also for some reason, pancakes totally zapped me of energy. I would eat a pile of pancakes and within an hour I would want to take a nap! That’s because most pancakes are filled with sugar and white flour, but not these bad boys! These pancakes are not only a guilt-free breakfast treat, but they’re jam-packed with protein and healthy fats to keep you going for hours. They’re also gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and paleo.

My boyfriend Steve surprised me with these for breakfast one morning before we were to head out for mountain bike ride. I was a bit skeptical and nervous that I was not going to have any fuel to power up the mountain, and that I would fall flat within an hour, but you know what, I tore up the mountain and had energy to boot. My metabolism was in full gear and I was also full for hours, which is very rare for me because I’m a gal who eats a meal every 3 hours.

These are pancakes that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating because they’re made with almond flour, (which is basically ground up almonds) use raw honey for the sweetener, almond milk for the dairy, and coconut oil as a substitute for butter or vegetable oil, which will not only speed up your metabolism, but fuel your brain. They’re also lower in carbs than traditional pancakes. Top these with some plain Greek yogurt, toasted almonds, fresh fruit and you have yourself one power house of a breakfast that not only tastes great, but will give you the fuel to power through your day.

Lightly oil a saute pan or griddle and turn the heat up to medium-low or to medium. My boyfriend Steve is a pancake master, and he gave me a great tip for testing your griddle. Sprinkle some water on the griddle, if it’s hot enough the water will crackle, if it’s too hot the droplets will immediately evaporate and smoke. Easy right?

When the pan or griddle is hot, take a 1/4 measuring cup (or 1/8 cup) and pour your pancake batter onto the griddle. Make sure to leave ample space between the pancakes to allow the batter to spread.

Note: These are not like traditional pancakes and will not bubble, so watch for the edges to brown, firm up and get darker, and then gently flip over the pancakes and brown the other side.

That’s all there is to it! When they are browned the way you like them, just take them off the griddle and top them with your favorite toppings. Look at those beautiful cakes! Gorgeous, right?

So you’re probably wondering if these are kid approved right? Eli tried them and I will let the below pictures show you how he felt about them.

Here’s Eli taking his first bite. Yes, this is how my son eats his pancakes, I might have to give him some etiquette lessons!

He’s tasting them and thinking about how he feels.

Yep, he loved them, and gave me the double thumbs up! He thought they had a great crunch factor to them, which I will admit that they do.

I served up his pancakes with maple syrup, powdered sugar and some sliced strawberries on day one.

For his first day of school he requested them mommy style, with Greek yogurt, sliced strawberries and strawberry jam. He loved them both ways.

I also love topping these with my 5-minute sugar-free homemade blueberry chia jam (recipe soon)!My kiddos and I LOVE these oatmeal pancakes. These are what I call my weekday pancakes because most of the batter can be made the night before, saving you time in the morning! Awesome!

If you’re looking for a grain-free, gluten-free, vegan and paleo warm porridge then you have to try my grain-free, paleo, vegan breakfast porridge. It’s loaded with healthy Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats, contains tons of fiber, antioxidants, magensisum, and minerals. It takes only 10 minutes to make from start to finish, and the best part is that it’s low in carbs, and a warm, tasty and satisfying way to start the day. It will also give you the necessary fuel to get you through your morning.Like simple power-filled breakfasts? Then you have to try my easy overnight steel-cut oats. These oats are my go-to breakfast!

Hot quinoa and oat cereal with goji berries. This is another overnight cereal that’s packed with the heartiness of steel cut oats and the protein of quinoa. Love almonds? Then try my almond butter brownies. They are made with 6 simple ingredients, almond butter, honey, an egg, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Yep, there’s no flour or sugar in these brownies and you honestly won’t miss the sugar or flour, as these brownies are gooey on the inside and a bit crusty on the outside. Give them a try! They’re also kid approved and gluten free to boot!

Lightly oil a saute pan or griddle and turn the heat up to medium-low or to medium. My boyfriend Steve is a pancake master, and he gave me a great tip for testing your griddle. Sprinkle some water on the griddle, if it's hot enough the water will crackle, if it's too hot the droplets will immediately evaporate and smoke. Easy right?

When the pan or griddle is hot, take a ¼ measuring cup (or ⅛ cup for smaller pancakes) and pour your pancake batter onto the griddle. Make sure to leave ample space between the pancakes to allow the batter to spread.

Note: These are not like traditional pancakes and will not bubble, so watch for the edges to brown, firm up and get darker, and then gently flip over the pancakes and brown the other side.

That's all there is to it! When they're browned the way you like them, just take them off the griddle and top them with your favorite toppings.

I’ve made these several times, and we all enjoy them so much! Actually, we enjoy ALL of your recipes! Per your suggestion, I add the chia and ground flax seed. For my kids, I doubled the recipe plus added unsweetened cocoa and unsweetened chocolate chips. My 11yo daughter said they tasted like brownies! For me, I keep them just as you suggest, except without the honey. YUM!

I think so, but they might change the flavor a bit, as chia doesn’t really have a flavor, but flax does. You also have to grind the flax seeds first (in a spice grinder or coffee grinder), as our bodies can’t digest whole flax seeds well. So give it a try! 🙂

Hi, Marin MAMA ….This is my first time visiting your webpage…I am 63yrs of age …I am cleansing and looking for
healthy eating, so I can gain healthy weight…I need to gain at least 30. healthy pounds evenly distributed all over my body is my goal…i like your oatmeal ideas …I was told to eat oatmeal, fruits , veg, etc..brown rice etc. i love bread and would love to see some easy ways to make healthy bread…Thank You..OH!…., and do you have any recipes for baked chicken…Thanks Again…”Peace”

Hi Iris! First off, you can totally put on some healthy weight! Start incorporating some healthy fats into your diet like coconut oil, butter, avocados, grass fed, pastured raised meats and eggs, full-fat dairy (if you don’t have a dairy intolerance) or nut milks. I would also recommend this collagen from Great Lakes http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091MQ5IE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0091MQ5IE&linkCode=as2&tag=marmamcoo-20&linkId=56KUEEE2QIFHLA7Q“>Great Lakes Gelatin, Collagen Hydrolysate, Beef, Kosher, 16 oz, 2-Packhttp://www.marinmamacooks.com/category/dinner/chicken/ I would recommend eating bone-in chicken thighs, as opposed to the breasts. The thighs of a chicken are meaty and full of good fats! You can tell if a chicken has been roaming around on the farm, because the thigh meat will be darker! I have a great and easy oven-baked brown rice recipe on the blog, you should totally make it! http://www.marinmamacooks.com/2015/11/easy-oven-baked-brown-rice/. Also, try adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to your tea. It’s an easy and delicious way to get in some healthy fats! Best of luck and let me know if you have any other questions! xoxo, Jacquelyn

Hi Sarah! Yay! I’m so happy you LOVED these pancakes! They’re kid approved in my house, so that’s telling you something! You should try the almond butter brownies next! So good and and super easy! 🙂 xoxo, Jacquelyn

I just made these, and they were FANTASTIC! Even my incredibly, crazy-picky 2 year-old gobbled them up (and I cannot stress enough how much that never happens!). My husband has Celiac disease, so I am always on the hunt for good, gluten free foods. Thank you for this! They were delicious, and will now be a staple weekend breakfast in our house. 🙂

Hi Leilana! Hmmm…. My batter is always super soupy, so maybe you forgot to add in one of the ingredeints, or maybe you should just add in a bit more milk?

I sometimes forget to add in an ingredient to a recipe, and then realize it after the fact. Also, did you measure your liquid in a liquid measuring cup? Did you melt the coconut oil first before adding it to the batter? Did you use 2 eggs? Those are the only things I can think of that may have gone wrong!

I’ve made these about 50 times as well as my friends, and we all get the same results, so I’m not entirely sure what happened! Sorry sweetie!

I just discovered your blog the other day and gave these pancakes a go this morning. They were delicious and a big hit in our household all the way across the Pacific in Australia. Thank you and look forward to trying more of your recipes. Tonight I am going to try your cilantro-lime-chicken tacos.

Hi Joelene! Yaay! I’m so happy to hear that you discovered my blog, all the way from Australia, and that your first recipe was a hit! Yippee! I hope the cilantro-lime chicken tacos are as big of a hit! Let me know how they turn out! I can’t wait for mangos to come back in season as I miss those tacos! 🙂 xoxo, Jacquelyn

Hi Lee Ann! You could try doing that! I think they’re best fresh, but give it a shot. You could also make them the night before and then re-heat them on a skillet or pan the next morning, they may taste better that way? I’m the same way in the morning. I usually just make my ovenight steel-cut oats because I’m too lazy to wait for oats to cook up for 20 min! Best of luck girl! xoxo, Jacquelyn

What kind of griddle is that? I have tried many and returned them. They dont seem to make things like they used to. Thin cheap. …uneven heat….an actual line on the pancakes exactly where heat coil is..barely cooked where it wasnt on the coil….:( I continue one pancake at a time witha fry pan. …definitely not the best outcome. Lol

Um, that’s how I eat pancakes too! At least when I am buy myself 🙂 These look so, so good! Love your idea of greek yogurt and fruit on top- can’t wait to make these! I’m not a fan of sweet pancakes so these sound more my speed! Yum!

Loving the new design, looks great! And I will definitely give these gluten free pancakes a try, I’ve been looking for some new ideas to help power me through my morning runs and if you can make it to the top of a mountain with energy to spare then they’ll certainly do the trick. Cheers! Laura